There are a number of things that go into successful or inspiring ad campaigns: Did they contribute to the growth of the brand? Were they remembered through the years? Did they touch on universal truths?

Ad agencies and independent companies trying to brand their businesses have faced the challenges that come along with these questions for decades, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a daunting task. To better help spark your imagination and creativity, we’re taking a look at the top successful and inspiring ad campaigns.

Nike: Just Do It.

This late ‘80s campaign was so successful that Nike’s sales increased from 800 million to more than 9.2 billion in ten years. The slogan was catchy because it was short and sweet, and it really inspired people to push themselves and exercise. In doing so, the campaign managed to tap into a struggle for many people, which connected the message and consumers on an emotional level.

California Milk Processor Board: Got Milk?

This 1993 campaign is credited with increasing milk sales by 7% in one year alone. Even to this day, this campaign has inspired countless parodies, which has undoubtedly contributed to its success. Interestingly, this ad didn’t try to target non-milk drinkers but rather tried to increase consumption of milk in those who already drank the product.

Dove: Real Beauty.

This 2004 campaign was both successful and inspiring. Their ads examined social standards of beauty, which were centered around a social experiment.

The experiment involved a sketch artist drawing two images of a person: one that the person gave of themselves and another that was based on a stranger’s perception. The campaign also used a lot of average looking women in their ads, which Nike later went on to emulate. The results saw that only 4% of women saw themselves as beautiful. Nevertheless, the sketches were viewed 114 million times and generated billions of dollars in the process.

Apple: Get a Mac.

This 2006 campaign, which included a total of 33 commercials, poised the Mac against the PC. In the process, they experienced at 42% market share growth in their first year. The commercials were both playful and comedic. The key to this campaign was its ability to ignite a cultural conversation, which went on to spawn countless parodies.

Clairol: Does she or Doesn’t She?

This was Clairol’s 1957 ad campaign, which centered around hair dye. When they first answered this question, 1 in 15 women used hair dye. When they asked the same question 11 years later, the campaign had been so successful that 1 in 2 women now used hair dye. Even more, some states stopped requiring women to have to indicate their hair colour on their driver license because it began to change so frequently that it was no longer a helpful aid on their identification. What made this campaign so successful was the marketing strategy: they wanted people to think their product was so good that people wouldn’t be able to tell if they had coloured their hair or not.

Whether you have a new product coming to the market or you’re trying to rebrand something that has been around for years, the above campaigns prove that you always have the opportunity to start fresh. For more information about creating memorable campaigns, contact our team today.